The Journey with Teddy

MORNING PRAISE February 28, 2020 Friday after Ash Wednesday The Song of Ruth Ruth 1: 8, 16-18 PERSONAL REFLECTION          “You okay?” A few days ago, somebody asked me that question: “You okay?” The only response I can come up with was an awkward, bad joke: a futile attempt at humor to dispel the worry and concern that this good guy seemingly had. It was all I can come up with at that moment, because in my heart, I knew that I was not okay. Before Arvisu, I have always shielded myself from valuing people too much. I kept my guard at all times and I’ve protected myself from feeling too much for people because I did not want to feel vulnerable. Who wants to be vulnerable, anyway? And so I rarely opened up, even to my closest friends – and this helped me live in a fantasy world where I am emotionally self-sufficient and therefore I did not have any need to make any deep emotional connection with anyone. Arvisu changed that, but the tragedy is that just as I

MORNING PRAISE |  February 19, 2020 Wednesday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time Did you know that as of today, there are only 94 days left in our Arvisu journey? Something beautiful is about to meet its inevitable end, and with that end coming, I couldn’t help but be anxious. But what makes me even more anxious is that my anxiety about May 23 seems to be anchored not on the results of my application to the novitiate, rather on the impending end of my candidacy days here in Arvisu. Secretly I would envy those who would feel that something that they said, not said, done, or not done might have jeopardized their acceptance to the novitiate. Their worries seem to be more normal and legitimate, and that just makes me feel like I’m such a weird person.     While writing my autobiography, however, things started to make sense.   Last Friday (Valentine’s Day), while I was in LST trying to key in a page or two for my autobiography, it occurred to me that it was around th

MORNING PRAISE February 08, 2020 Saturday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time Early Promise of Solomon's Reign 1 Kings, 3:4-13 Last Monday, Jollibee released #Space , a short film/long-form advertisement that is part of its Kwentong Jollibee Valentines series this year. I will not go into the details why I am not impressed by the execution of the concept, but I can tell you this much: redemption came towards the end of the film, as the screen turned red, and in white Jollibee font, the following words were displayed:  As cliché and as cheesy as this will sound, the ad reminded me of my own love story: my love story with God. It is the story of a thirty-seven-year-old man who is not exactly the best there is – a man who is constantly surrounded by people who are much better in every respect; a man who is flawed, limited, and imperfect; a man with a sordid past, and a future hanging by a thread. And yet God, in His perfection and boundless generosity,

On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, we take time to remember how God sent us His son to give light to the world. May we always be aware of His presence in our lives, in the midst of these troubling times. Amen. The earthquake in Turkey. The Corona Virus in China The Taal Volcano eruption in the Philippines.  The peace situation in Iran and the Middle East. The bushfires in Australia.  Song: Simeon's Canticle (Hangad) Clips: Mary of Nazareth